New Apple iPad Launch: Still Mania, But More Muted

By

Sarah Berlow

Mar 16, 2012 4:21 pm JST

Reuters

“After 36 hours of waiting… I’m really happy,” Ryo Watanabe told a clutch of reporters Friday morning, proudly displaying his trophy. The 19-year-old college student on spring break took first place in this spring’s hottest contest for Japanese tech geeks: the competition to be first in the country to buy the new iPad.

Mr. Watanabe was among the ranks of more than 450 people outside the Tokyo Apple Store in ritzy Ginza, waiting to buy the tech label’s latest gadget at launch.

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